Assessment and Reporting

ASSESSMENT

 

PURPOSE:

Assessments in schools play a crucial role in understanding your child's achievement and growth over time. They provide teachers with valuable insights into each student's strengths and areas for improvement, allowing them to tailor teaching and learning programs to meet the individual needs of every child. By identifying where students are at in their learning journey, teachers can ensure that all students are supported and challenged appropriately, fostering their academic progress and learning growth.

 

TYPES OF ENGLISH ASSESSMENTS USED AT IEPS:

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TYPES OF MATHS ASSESSMENTS USED AT IEPS:

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WHAT THE ASSESSMENTS ARE:

 

Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) Reading & Maths Adaptive:

PAT assessments measure what students know, understand and are capable of in reading and maths and help us to monitor their progress over time. Each assessment is administered twice a year (March and October) on a secure online platform. The tests are adaptive and create an individualised test experience for each student, giving a precise picture of student achievement and growth. Click HERE to read more.

 

Essential Assessments:

Essential Assessment is an online assessment program that allows teachers to assess each student within each sub strand of the English and Maths domains of the Victorian Curriculum. Each assessment is administered three times throughout the year (February, June and November) on a secure online platform, supporting teachers to identify students’ strengths and the next steps in their learning journey, maximising student growth. Click HERE to read more.

 

English Online Interview (EOI):

The EOI is an online tool for assessing the English skills of students from Foundation to Level 1 that includes 4 modules aligned with the Victorian Curriculum. It is a one-to-one interview between a teacher and student, using specifically designed texts and resources to complete a module. The teachers record each student’s responses directly onto a secure online system and the data is used to generate reports that provide an overview of student achievement and information to inform planning to maximise student learning growth. The EOI assessments achievement in 3 modes of English:

  • Reading and Viewing
  • Writing
  • Speaking and Listening

The assessment covers the following areas of literacy:

  • Concepts about print
  • Listening comprehension
  • Oral language (conversation & vocabulary)
  • Phonics and phonological awareness
  • Reading comprehension
  • Writing and spelling

Click HERE to read more.

 

Maths Online Interview (MOI):

The MOI is an online tool for assessing the mathematical understanding of students in the early years of schooling. The interview assesses students’ knowledge skills and strategies in relation to the key ‘growth points’ in the strands of Number and Algebra, and Measurement and Geometry. The assessment takes the form of a one-to-one interview where students are engaged in hands-on assessment tasks where they demonstrate mathematical understanding. Click HERE to read more.

 

PM Benchmark Literacy Assessment:

PM Benchmark is a one-to-one reading assessment that takes place multiple times a year from Foundation to Year 3. These assessments provide teachers to:

  • Accurately identify students’ reading levels
  • Use evidence to inform teaching practice and lesson planning
  • Monitor students’ reading achievement and growth over time

Click HERE to read more.

 

Letter Identification:

The Letter Identification assessment is a one-on-one assessment where students are shown upper- and lowercase- letters and are required to identify the name and the sound. This information is utilised by teachers to plan learning activities to cater for individual learning needs.

 

Writing Moderation:

To facilitate two writing sessions where students will be given a common prompt to unpack their thinking and complete a writing piece that will be used to moderate against the Victorian Curriculum Achievement Standards. This session can support us to gather evidence around an individual student’s writing strengths and instructional needs.  By administering a moderation task we can identify:

 

  • How much planning does a student do before they write?
  • Which thinking tools do they use to unpack their thinking?
  • Does the student have a strategy for organising ideas?
  • Does the student approach the writing task confidently?
  • What seem to be the obstacles to getting thoughts down on paper?
  • What classroom resources does the student use independently?
  • How does the student attempt to spell words they do not know?
  • Does the student reread what they have written?
  • What kind of changes does the student make to their first draft?

 

During the independent writing time teachers can observe students and take anecdotal notes, considering the above dot points.

 

Single Word Spelling Test (SWST):

The SWST is a series of tests designed to assess the attainment in spelling of 5- to 14-year-old pupils. There are 9 tests, each consisting of 30 - 50 words. Each spelling test is administered orally with each word is read in context and students record on their sheet. Once marked, the result gives a standardised score and we are able to obtain a ‘spelling age’. The SWST is intended for use in identifying gaps in a pupil’s knowledge of spelling and their immediate learning targets that can be used to effectively plan for spelling instruction.

 

Rich Investigations (Numeracy):

Rich investigation tasks in maths are open-ended, challenging problems that encourage students to explore, apply, and extend their mathematical thinking. These tasks allow students to showcase a wide range of skills, such as problem-solving, reasoning, creativity, and communication. By engaging in deep exploration, students can demonstrate their understanding of mathematical concepts in meaningful, real-world contexts. As an assessment tool, rich investigations provide a more comprehensive view of a student's abilities, going beyond basic procedural knowledge to highlight their critical thinking and ability to make connections between ideas.

 

NAPLAN:

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, and 5 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake. Students sit assessments in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. The questions assess content linked to the Australian Curriculum: English and Mathematics. NAPLAN allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national proficiency standards.

 

Data Analysis Tools: Elastik

At IEPS, we use a cutting-edge data analysis platform, called Elastik, designed to personalise learning for your child. With Elastik, we're providing insights tailored to each student's unique needs and learning journey.

This platform empowers teachers with real-time insights, pinpointing areas for support and extension across subjects like Literacy and Numeracy.

 

Additionally, it's important to highlight that our ‘Formative Assessment’ of your child's progress is not just based on standardised test scores. Our teachers observe and engage with students during in-class activities and conference groups, actively documenting their growth and understanding against the curriculum.

This comprehensive approach to all assessment areas ensures that we have a holistic understanding of your child's strengths and areas for development, allowing us to tailor our support effectively.

 

Reporting

Purpose

The purpose of reporting to parents is to provide clear and meaningful feedback on their child's academic progress, social development, and well-being. It fosters communication between the school and home, helping parents understand their child’s strengths, areas for improvement, and how they can support learning at home. Regular reporting also ensures transparency and allows for collaborative efforts to enhance student outcomes, addressing any concerns in a timely manner.

 

Types of Reporting at IEPS

Parent Teacher Interviews/3-Way-Conferences:

The purpose of parent-teacher interviews is to create a space for open dialogue between teachers and parents about a student’s academic performance, behaviour, and overall well-being. These meetings provide an opportunity to discuss progress, address any concerns, and collaboratively develop strategies to support the student’s growth. Parent-teacher interviews strengthen the partnership between home and school, ensuring that both parties work together to enhance the child’s learning experience and personal development.

 

Semester Reports
Your child's semester report will show a dot as to where their current level of achievement is placed in regards to the curriculum. Literacy and Numeracy scores (progression point dots) and any other curriculum point that they have completed will have a tail to show student progress – showing the growth since the last time they were assessed on that area of the Victorian Curriculum.

The Literacy and Numeracy comments your child receives on their report reflects curriculum skills that align with their given progression point. The ‘Next Step’ statement then applies to future curriculum progression points that students will be working on either later that year or into the following year. These skills written on the report are derived from teacher observation, student co-designed goals and assessment results utilising the Elastik platform.


Our staff are committed to ensuring that every student at Ivanhoe East Primary School has the best opportunity to achieve their full potential. This student report card is one aspect of that commitment. The reporting process is a combination of written and ongoing verbal feedback of your child’s progress.

 

Reporting Cycle

Term 1: Parent Teacher Interviews

Term 2: Semester Reports

Term 3: Parent Teacher Interviews (Foundation - 2) and 3-Way-Conferences (Year 3-6)

Term 4: Semester Reports